In his second big defence announcement in under a week, Scott Morrison on Thursday will outline plans for a major expansion of Australia’s defence workforce to more than 101,000 by 2040.
While all eyes are on China’s response to the new AUKUS security pact, Russia matters, too. After all, it has its own nuclear submarines that could now be marketed all over the region.
Australia’s growing tendency to call in the defence force to deal with crises outside its usual remit is cause for concern. Shouldn’t we be better prepared to respond to disasters?
New legislation would give the ADF more power to respond to future bushfires and other disasters. But questions remain about the scope of this involvement and how ADF personnel would be deployed.
This might appear a radical suggestion, but military units have been moved, shuffled, re-branded, disbanded and reactivated frequently throughout Australia’s history.
China didn’t feature explicitly in Scott Morrison’s speech, but the dramatic growth in its military capabilities was a clear reason for the surge in defence spending.
Soldiers on Australian streets are not a common sight outside parades. But the current pandemic requires a much more coordinated and strategic response – and a bigger role from the ADF.
While many families are busy planning how to spend their time together this Christmas holiday season, others are planning how to manage their time apart.
Veterans are at higher risk of mental illness than the rest of the Australian population. Many of them are seeking help, but the way care is provided to this group must consider their unique needs.
The Australian Defence Forces use dogs for many purposes, including sniffing out explosive devices, detecting narcotics, locating the wounded, and patrolling and protecting missions and bases.
Drones are now an integral part of defence force capability, from intelligence gathering to unmanned theatre engagement. But what happens if our own technology is turned against us?